It's Different Here
by Pinklove21
Summary: Mr. Gold is cashing in on his favor (not the same as show) just when Emma was going to offer a different favor. It leads her on an adventure to the Enchanted Forest where she will find that everyone was right; Magic really is different in Storybrooke.
1. Chapter 1

She tries hard not to think about it. So hard, just to push it to the back of her mind like all the other pain she got so good at hiding so it wouldn't affect her. Putting her wall up as Mary Margaret (because she still can't find it in her to call her mom, it's just too weird still) likes to tell her. And right now…well it's up pretty damn high. Rock solid once again.

But sometimes, Emma will find herself on a quiet day at the station, sitting at her desk and laboring through paperwork that needs to be done eventually and finds herself getting bored, her weary eyes glancing up from the paper to her surroundings. Sometimes they'll get a glance at that worn black leather jacket with just a stripe of red at the collar on the coat rack, but when she does it's no longer a glance. It's a hard stare that she can't pull herself away from no matter how hard she tries. And the wall comes crashing down.

She never could get herself to move the thing, hasn't even bothered to touch it in the months that it's been there. She hates Mr. Gold for bringing here when she clearly stated to him that she didn't want it, but not enough to do anything about it. Because as much as she wishes it wasn't there…she does. It's confusing, but it's the only thing at this point that truly makes any crack in her walls that fend off emotions she doesn't want. Besides, she's too frozen in her chair to do anything but stare at it and let her eyes get hazy as she the unwilled memories of the owner of that jacket come crashing back, bombarding her.

Graham. Or the Huntsman depending on whom you ask.

Graham, the man who she finally, finally let in. She ignored it, brushed it away, and denied it for so long that he was just a friend, a coworker, but the truth was she knew he wasn't. He was really the first person in over ten years that somehow made their way into her heart without even trying, and everyone knew it. So after she allowed him to break down her walls and gave into what she and he for that matter wanted, needed, she had a brief moment of thinking maybe this won't be so bad. She was getting her roots, changing her life for Henry anyway. Why not take a chance on this too? They clearly both wanted it, and she allowed herself to feel.

And then he died in her arms.

The second he fell over she regretted so much more than anything including maybe even Henry's father and trusting him just to have him turn on her which lead to her stint in jail, allowing herself to feel. Because at least then she wasn't so much heartbroken as confused, and angry, and betrayed. No, this was her own fault this time, and she had no one to blame. She allowed herself to feel and look what happens. It would be amusing in a terribly ironic way if it wasn't so heartbreakingly crushing that practically the second she gives in he leaves her in the ultimate way.

She tried not to let it affect her and put her walls back up, and she succeeded. Well, after a while anyway. But they weren't quite rock solid anymore, and she didn't think they ever would be again despite the fact that she would never, never in a million years let her walls down again. She could build them up but the fact that he died in her arms, right then, just had too much of an effect on her. She knew even if she never admitted it that he left a hole in her heart, and it would never be filled. It wasn't love; it was far too early for that. But it was tragic in so many other ways that it didn't matter. At least not to her heart.

Forcing herself to look away from the jacket, she found that he was still on her mind. Knowing well that whatever paperwork she was doing was long forgotten for the time being and better to just start over when her mind was cleared, she allowed herself to do something that she never had before; read his story in Henry's book, which was in it's little hidey hole right here in the Sherriff's station. She'd never bothered reading it before Graham had died in her arms and once Henry insisted that he was the Huntsman afterwards she never could get herself to look. But now she did, and poured over the story. She wasn't really paying attention to Henry too much when he tried to explain it, but she did remember one thing he said with vivid clarity at one particular part, when the Huntsman spared Snow White. That Emma, and thus Henry himself, would have never been born had Graham not let Snow go. That there was that special connection there.

She didn't really know what to believe, but now that she knows better and that her parents really were Snow White and Prince Charming along with everyone else here being from fairytales, she thinks about it with a new perspective. She only knew the Storybrooke Graham of course, but that one she could never see killing anyone even though she knew as the Huntsman he probably could before. Did she have a special connection with him? She guessed so, since she immediately (now admitting) had some sort of liking to him, but she knew Henry meant otherwise. That Graham remembered everything from his past life without the curse even being broken, and all because he kissed her. The savior.

Some savior she is. She may have broken his own curse without much explanation just to die moments later. Sounds like a curse of its own if you ask her. But…she guesses her son has a point. What was it that he remembered so much earlier than everyone else? Was it just because he kissed her? She had never really thought to test that theory on others and she guessed Henry didn't either, but it didn't really matter now. She'd broken the curse with Henry. True love's kiss, that unconditional love from a parent to a child that shattered Regina's curse.

No, it couldn't possibly have been true love's kiss. She wasn't really sure how that kind of stuff worked, but from watching her parents and hearing their story it seemed like a love at first sight thing to her. It wasn't like that with Graham, and she knew that with her walls down too. So maybe it was just some weird thing about Graham saving her mom and thus her, but she didn't really know. Actually, she didn't really know why it even mattered now. Just something didn't sit right in her mind with it, and not in the normal way.

Flipping through the rest of the story, she comes to the end where the Evil Queen Regina figures out the heart is not human that Graham brings her and thus takes his own heart, claiming that he is hers to do with as she wishes and wouldn't feel anything. It certainly rings with truth looking back now. He claimed not to feel anything, Regina had him on her leash, and at the end there he was feverish and frantically looking for his heart, following his wolf though he sounded and acted crazy (to her and everyone else under the curse) at the time. But now…

Then she thinks back to not too far in the recent past, when Cora had Aurora's heart back in fairytale land. How she controlled her. How Cora was going to rip out Mary Margeret's heart but she couldn't let that happen so she very nearly sacrificed her own. It was only by some strange magic within her (and she suspected being this savior of Gold's choosing) that Cora failed at that. She had never seen anyone rip out a heart or crush one with her own eyes, but she knew enough about that land and magic by now to know it was true. What if…

It had to be. It's the only thing that would make logical sense really to her at this point why Graham, a healthy man in his late twenties so suddenly died of a heart attack so quickly. And Henry…oh god Henry. He tried telling her, but she wouldn't listen. Looking back she thinks she should have listened to him in the first place about everything. But if what Henry said was true…

"Regina."

It's a hiss, a low, boiling anger as suddenly it comes over her. Regina did this.

I'm going to kill her.

Slamming the book shut and practically throwing it, I get up from my chair and pace the room trying to calm myself down, but it's easy for even me to tell that I'm failing miserably. Regina did this to Graham. What the hell for? Just because he defied her even though he didn't know the consequences? Just because she didn't want her to have him to herself when she was finally, _finally_ letting someone in? Just because she's a heartless bitch?

"Figured it out dearie?" a voice comes from her left, and practically getting whiplash I turn my glare to Gold in the doorway seeming smug as always, as if he knew all along. Of course he does. This is Mr. Gold after all. Or Rumplestilskin. Whatever. It's still hard thinking of everyone here being another person when I met them as someone else before the curse.

"What do you care?" I glare at him, not seeing why he would. He can't possibly like Regina that well if he made me the savior for his little curse anyway. And I know that Belle made him promise to not kill her so really I'd be doing him a favor.

"Oh, there's plenty to care about, Sheriff. Aren't you always concerned with being the good guy so to speak?" he reminds me, but I'm seriously contemplating just being the bad guy once in my life on this one. Actually, wouldn't killing the monster be seen as a good thing? "Besides, killing isn't your thing."

"Let's call it my favor to you then. I know you want her dead." I comment, crossing my arms over my chest. Check, Mr. Gold. Killing two birds with one stone will be a blessing.

"As tempting as that sounds, no." he smiles, which only proves to frustrate me further. "Killing Regina whether she deserves it or not will not bring your huntsman back."

It's true, but the rage kept her from really caring. A life for a life, right? She was very willing to kill Regina when it was Henry she though was going to die from that damn turnover, why not actually kill her for her murdering someone else?

"I know." I admit, though it doesn't really diminish my resolve to just take her gun and go shoot down Regina the very next time I see her.

"My favor, however, is something I'm cashing in now. Yet another reason for you to stay the hero in your boy's eyes." Gold informs her, and I'm tempted to groan. Oh gosh, what now?

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I question him, on my guard. It can't possibly be as good as killing Regina, and something tells me that I'm going to dread this. But after my rather newfound knowledge of what this man can do especially with magic here, breaking a deal with him will not end well for me. Though I am sorely tempted to do it.

"I need Belle's memories back." He informs me, and it's just so sincere and painful that I can tell just how much it's killing him that she thinks he's a monster. Even when she knew he was one she still loved him though I still can't see why, and it's obvious more and more to me that he truly loves her. But there's a problem with that.

"Well you're the one who made me this savior, but I'm pretty sure if your magic can't do that than mine can't." I remind him. Not to mention that I don't even really know how to use magic in the first place.

"No, not magic." He scoffs at me almost, as though I was stupid for even suggesting it. Well he is this 'dark one' so it's got to be true enough, right? "Well, here anyway."

"What do you mean 'here'." I question, suddenly not liking this at all.

"I need you to go back to our land. I had a pet that was not brought to Storybrooke when the curse was enacted and I'd like you to extract his memories and bring them back to me so I can use them to hopefully make a potion that will restore Belle's memory." He tells me, and I sigh. Another trip to fairytale land? I just got back.

"Why do I have to go? And are you sure that will even work?" I almost whine. I really don't want to leave again.

"Ms. Swan, you must be the one to go because I have to stay here. I don't trust Hook and I need to try everything I can for Belle until you return." He explains. Well really it just sounds like excuses to me. Granted the Hook one is probably a decent reason but it's still just an excuse. "And magic is different here. I don't know if it will work but I won't look for my son until Belle is better. I can't leave her and this is the best way I can think of."

Well he really does love her. Imagine that. "Fine I get it. Magic is different here." I repeat, then get an idea. "Which means that it's not possible. There's no portals, remember?" Ha! Take that, Gold.

He gives me an almost smirk, and suddenly I feel like he saw this coming. "Jefferson has made a new hat and wishes to go back to our land with his daughter. You will accompany him to our world."

Well shit. Not only does he have a way to get there but I have to go with the mad guy who was going to kill me. And Mary Margaret. And me again.

Knowing that I'm caught, Gold gives me is 'I'm getting what I want and there's nothing you can do about it' smile. "Well now that that's settled, you shall begin your journey tomorrow."

Goodie. I really hate that man sometimes. Almost as much as Regina. Guess now I have to go explain why I'm leaving again.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, let's go!" Henry urges me on excitedly as he throws his full backpack over his shoulder-far too excitedly for this early in the morning. But he has a point even if I don't like it.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I mutter, zipping up my own backpack. When I came back to the apartment and told everyone what Mr. Gold was insisting I do as his favor, they were all naturally against it. I mean, who wouldn't be? And Mary Margaret and I just got back it seems yesterday. But we all knew there was nothing I could do about it, especially since Gold had his magic back. The consequences would be worse if I refused. Besides, it couldn't take more than like a week tops, right? And I had the stupid hat this time to get back as soon as I had these memories Gold wants.

And of course, Henry insisted he had to go. He's believed in this land longer than anyone expect for the few who actually didn't lose their memories from the curse, and was well…obsessed with seeing it I guess would be the correct term. I didn't want to take him, but he did have a few good points. For one, taking him there would get him away from not only Regina who was still in hiding so she wasn't really the biggest threat, but Cora. I still have no flipping clue how she and Hook managed to get to Storybrooke without that compass or the ashes from the wardrobe, so it's obviously possible that Cora could come after me at any time. But she had said herself that she was here for Regina, so there was a chance that she wouldn't come anyway, or at least while I was there. And if she did come…well, I'd figure that out then.

My other protest was that it wasn't safe for him and he had school, but to my shock David and Mary Margaret helped him out there. David insisted he would be safe with me and Mary Margaret that it was already May; school would be out soon anyway and she was Henry's teacher, and therefore she could show him all he needed to know when he got back. With little to protest aside from just not wanting him in danger, I was outnumbered by my kid and my own parents. I understood Henry but not so much them. Well…maybe they just wanted alone time for a while. As strange and gross as it is to think about (and walk in on that one time), I get the point. Like most kids though I guess, I just prefer to pretend it doesn't happen. Though it is rather remarkable of them to be able to embarrass me like this at this point in the game, I'll give them that.

And so with a call to Gold and him informing Jefferson, an hour later Henry was on board to go. Kid was so excited he barely slept last night I'd guess. Me, I was just dreading it, but at least I'd be with Henry. We could call it…a mother son vacation. In a land where everyone from here is actually from and there aren't many people. And ogres. And well…I'd probably have to eat chimera again. But if it made Henry happy, then maybe there could be some worth out of this trip for someone other than Gold.

Or at least that's what I keep telling myself, since I still don't think it's really a good idea to take my ten year old son to that place.

But it doesn't stop us from going, and soon enough we're entering Gold's pawn shop where Jefferson and Grace are already waiting with Gold there, the men seeming at odds with each other and Grace very much pretending that nothing is wrong. Personally I'm with Grace in their case; both her and Jefferson are escaping this place for good and they never have to deal with Gold again. Or at least until he and probably everyone else finds a way back to fairytale land someday. But that's their problem when the time comes.

"You're late." Jefferson claims with a frown and a half glare, and I have to hide my smile at his annoyance. Well sorry for having to meet here Jefferson. I don't know why Gold wanted them here, but all I can think is that he wanted something from Jefferson or had something over him to get him to do this. I already know from the past encounters with Jefferson (no matter how crazy I thought he was when in fact he was telling the truth. But he's still crazy; you know, the mad hatter thing) that his plan was to get his magical hat to work to take himself and his daughter home, but lord knows what convinced him to wait for Henry and I.

"Sorry." I mumble, not really apologizing sincerely. I don't really want to go and what's five more minutes here in the real world when he's leaving for good anyway?

He shakes his head and grumbles something unintelligible under his breath, but looks up and appears to be less annoyed. "Alright they're here. Let's get this going, Rumplestilskin."

"So eager." Gold smiles, clearly amused at something. "It's not my fault that you don't have enough magic yourself to get the hat to work."

Ah well that explains it. Gold wouldn't help Jefferson unless Jefferson took Henry and I.

"It's your fault magic is different here." Jefferson protests, frowning at Gold.

"Actually dearie, I brought the magic here." Gold clarifies. "Therefore, you should be thanking me for making this possible."

"Well I think it's not a coincidence that I need help." He guesses, arms crossed over his chest. I glance down to Henry and see that he's enjoying the show, and I'd be lying if I wasn't either. These two could have a sitcom if they didn't kill each other first. In fact, if there weren't kids in the room they might just have taken this physical. Or magical…whatever. Well…Jefferson might be stopped by that. Something tells me Gold wouldn't care.

And as entertaining as this may be, the sooner we leave the sooner we can come back. So I decide to interrupt their little spat and get things going. "Alright, who cares who's doing what? There's magic and I have to get to this pet of Gold's, so can we leave now?"

"Yes, Miss Swan, of course." Gold nods, and gestures for Jefferson to place his hat on the floor as he goes behind his desk and opens a few drawers or whatever before coming up with something that vaguely resembles a jewelry box. He comes over and opens it over the hat that's now on the ground, but hesitates to drop the contents in.

"Ah yes, your task Miss Swan." He remembers, and I can sense Jefferson roll his eyes but I think Gold misses it. I was wondering when he was going to tell me about this.

"Yeah, so I know I need to find this pet of yours to get it's memories like Pongo. But what is this pet? Where do I even find it?" I ask him. Will the thing even be alive? It has been a while, hasn't it? Unless of course this 'pet' is like that dragon I fought to get that stupid gold egg of his and it's really a human in a different form…Which in all honesty, wouldn't surprise me.

He hands me a dream catcher, maybe even the same one I used on Pongo not too long ago before answering me.

"You will go to my residence dearie. Don't worry, you'll find your way there." He tells me, a hint of a smirk on his face. What is that supposed to mean?

"The Dark Castle? Really?" Henry exclaims, far too excited for this considering our destination is named the 'Dark Castle'. As in, the home of the fucking 'dark one'. Geez, look at me repaying my debt for a deal with the baddest villain there is and going on some quest to do something with a beast whatever that may be. When did my life start being a fairy tale?

Oh right. The moment I was born.

It would probably help if I started remembering that, considering all I've gone through since Henry came and found me on my birthday. Considering all the crazy stuff that happened since. Considering a man died in my arms because _someone_ had his heart and crushed it…

Shaking my head, I realize that Gold is probably right. I need to get out of Storybrooke fast before madam mayor strolls on my because I would kill her so fast she wouldn't know what hit her. Which probably isn't the most legal or right thing to do considering I'm a sheriff and all.

"Yes, Henry." Gold smiles, amused at his enthusiasm. "I suppose that your book has told you how to get there?"

Henry nods with a smile, exuding excitement. Well, at least one of us knows where we're going. And is apparently going to have the time of his life.

"Alright so we can get there. What is this beast of yours I have to face?" I question him, wanting to just get to the point.

"What makes you suppose it's a beast?" he questions me, clearly playing games. I roll my eyes at him in response.

"Well something tells me it's not a fluffy little dog." I go for sarcasm, and he gives me a smirk in return that tells me that I'm absolutely right. Well it's not like I doubted it.

"I assure you Miss Swan that you will be just fine." He informs me, still giving nothing away. Stupid game-playing bastard. "You've already bested a dragon, I'm confident you can face my pet."

Well fine, guess he's not going to tell me. Maybe that's in Henry's book too.

"Fine. Let's go." I effectively end this pointless conversation, and he obliges and drops in some kind of trinkets that seem to glow purple a little. He must have kept them 'alive' or whatever for all these years to still have that much magic, considering magic is different here. I briefly wonder if I have enough magic to do that hat myself, but I guess I'll find out when Henry and I come home.

The hat spins as it did last time, a purple fog that spins growing as it goes. Jefferson's mood seems to brighten immensely and as the hat's powerful fog gets bigger and louder so that I can't hear him, he gestures with his hands and mouthing the words 'after you' to me from across the room. So taking Henry's hand in mine, we jump into the fog.

Everything is blank for a second, a black haze taking over me so that the only thing that tells me this is real and that I'm not dead Henry's hand gripping my own. And then all of a sudden, we land with a thump on the ground and I open my eyes to a now familiar landscape.

It's the Enchanted Forest, who knows where in them because it's all the same to me but I know we're in the right place. Henry lets go of my hand and we hear a thump behind us, turning around to find Jefferson and Grace have arrived. They both seem visibly relaxed and content to be back here, and it makes me wonder why this place doesn't have the same effect on me. Maybe because it's not my home like it is there's. I may be from this world, but it's not my home.

"When you have completed your task for Rumplestilskin, come back to our cabin about a mile south of here. I will help you go back to Storybrooke from there." He informs us and gestures for his daughter to go on ahead, and with one concerned glance to her father she decides to trust him and skips off. Jefferson comes closer to us and crosses his arms, all seriousness again. "There's one catch. The amount of people that go through the hat must go back, and I have no intention of Grace nor I leaving again."

What?

"Are you really telling me that we either have to find two more people to go through with us or we're stuck here?" I try to clarify, and he nods. This just isn't fair! I feel like I've been tricked, though I know that Gold had nothing to do with this because he'll want his dream catcher back with those memories of Belle. But he must have known about this little rule and decided not to tell me just like his little pet.

I'm really beginning to hate all this stuff. That's the last time I make a deal with a man that's called the 'dark one'. Granted, I didn't know he was at the time, but still.

"Yes. They can be dead or alive, but there must be four people for you to return." He tells us, and I fight the urge to cringe. Really, dead people? I will never see how he could so nonchalantly mention that we should carry around corpses to get back let alone actually do it. I wonder if I could somehow miraculously find Mulan and Aurora here and somehow convince them to come back with us…

"Great." I state with a roll of my eyes, and with that he parts with us with a bow and goes in the direction of Grace with his stupid rules top hat back on his head. As soon as he's gone I look down to Henry and find him seemingly unaffected by this though, as he is grabbing his oh so informative book and flipping through it.

"Okay I got it. We go…" he starts, looking up at the sky and around. "That way!" he points in a direction to my right, and despite being annoyed at not just Jefferson but Gold, I can't hide a smile. He just seems so alive and happy here, on an adventure as he'd put it.

And who am I to ruin his mood with my own?

"Alright, lead the way kid."


End file.
